Flow-rate adaptation for a connection of time-varying capacity

ABSTRACT

A system and methods for adapting streaming data for transmission over a connection of time-varying capacity are disclosed. A streaming server individually adapts transmission rates of signals directed to subtending clients according to measurements characterizing connections from the streaming server to the clients. The measurements may relate to characteristics such as transfer delay, data-loss fraction, and occupancy level of a buffer at a client&#39;s receiver. A flow controller associated with the streaming server derives metrics from measurements taken over selected time windows to determine a permissible transmission rate from the server to each active client. Metrics related to a specific characteristic may include a mean value over a moving window as well as short and long term tendencies of respective measurements. An adaptable encoder at the streaming server encodes signals to meet permissible transmission rates.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 12/180,697, U.S. Pat. No. 8,001,260 filed on Jul. 28, 2008 to Labonte entitled “Flow-Rate Adaptation for a Connection of Time-Varying Capacity”, entire contents of the application being incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to data communication from a source to multiple sinks where the source may adapt its flow rate to an individual sink according to conditions of a path from the source to the individual sink.

BACKGROUND

In a data-streaming system, a server may communicate with multiple sinks. In general, a path from a data source associated with the server to an individual data sink comprises a first span from the source to a first switching node in a shared network, a switched path through the shared network from the first switching node to a second switching node of the shared network, and a second span from the second switching node to the individual sink. The maximum flow rate that can be sustained by a path may vary with time according to load conditions of a shared network and physical conditions of transmission media. Any path segment may be shared by multiple connections which may be assigned different priority designations.

If a connection carries delay-tolerant data, such as computer files, the integrity of transmitted data may be preserved, as the conditions of a path fluctuates, using known end-to-end protocols which may rely on retransmission of lost data or data perceived to be lost. If a connection carries delay-sensitive data such as real-time video signals where data retransmission is not desirable, it is of paramount importance that the signal source, or a signal encoder associated with a signal source, adapt the signal content according to a perceived capacity of a respective connection.

There is therefore a need for responsive means for real-time connection-state evaluation and signal-content adaptation to ensure preserving service quality as connection-state varies with time.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides methods and apparatus for controlling flow rate of data from a source to a sink according to conditions of a path from the source to the sink.

In accordance with one aspect, the present invention provides a method of data streaming from an encoder to a decoder through a time-varying connection. The method comprises steps of: acquiring measurements characterizing the connection; estimating transmittance variation of the connection according to the measurements; determining an adjustment of a current encoding rate of the encoder compatible with the transmittance variation to attain a favorable encoding rate; and instructing the encoder to encode a signal according to the favorable encoding rate. The connection is initially assigned a nominal encoding rate which may be negotiated or determined according to a classification of the encoder.

The measurements may comprise performance characteristics such as transfer delay between the encoder and the decoder, proportion of data loss, or occupancy of a receiving buffer at the decoder. The measurements are preferably acquired over a time window of a predefined duration.

The encoding rate may be updated by multiplying the nominal encoding rate by a first encoding coefficient which is determined according to a first metric derived from the measurements. The first encoding coefficient may be determined according to a predefined function of the first metric. The first metric may be selected as a mean value of the measurements over the time window.

Alternatively, the encoding rate may be updated by multiplying the nominal encoding rate by a second encoding coefficient determined according to a second metric based on measurement trend during the time window. The encoding coefficient may be updated by multiplying its current value by a factor determined according to a predefined function of the second metric. The measurement trend may be based on a slope of a regression line relating measurements to time during the time window. The measurement trend may also be based on both the slope of the regression line and a gradient of measurements during a short period within the time window.

In accordance with another aspect, the present invention provides a method of determining an adaptable encoding rate of a signal transmitted from a data-streaming server to a client device through a time-varying connection. The method comprises steps of: determining a current encoding rate for the connection; acquiring transfer-delay measurements over a time window between a first time instant and a second time instant; and acquiring a data-loss-ratio measurement over the time window. A regression line relating the transfer-delay measurements to respective time instants within the time window may then be determined and the slope of the regression line is considered to indicate a trend of the measurements. A gradient of selected transfer-delay measurements immediately preceding the second time instant is also determined.

A first tentative encoding rate may be determined according to the slope and the gradient and a second tentative encoding rate may be determined according to the data-loss-ratio measurement. A preferred encoding rate may then be selected as the lesser of the first encoding rate and the second encoding rate, thus meeting the more stringent of the transfer-delay and data-loss requirements.

The method further comprises a step of acquiring a measurement of occupancy of a buffer associated with the client device. If the preferred encoding rate, which satisfies the transfer-delay and data-loss performance requirements, exceeds a nominal encoding rate and the occupancy exceeds a predefined buffer-occupancy threshold, the preferred encoding rate is reduced to equal the nominal encoding rate in order to avoid buffer overflow. The first tentative encoding rate may be determined by multiplying the current encoding rate by a first encoding coefficient E* determined according a predefined function: E*=Γ(α,β), where α is the slope of the regression line and β is the gradient.

The method further compares the data-loss-ratio measurement, denoted θ, with a lower bound θ_(min) and an upper bound θ_(max) of a predefined data-loss-ratio acceptance interval. If θ>θ_(max), a second encoding coefficient E** is determined as E**=(1−θ). If θ<θ_(min), the second encoding coefficient E** is determined as E**=χ>1, where χ is a design parameter. The current encoding rate may then be multiplied by the second encoding coefficient E** to determine the second encoding rate.

In accordance with a further aspect, the present invention provides a system for data streaming. The system comprises a streaming server in communication with a plurality of clients each client having a decoder, a data buffer, and a sink reporter.

The streaming server comprises: a signal source; an adaptable encoder for encoding signals produced by the signal source; a source reporter for formulating downstream control packets directed to a plurality of clients; and a flow controller for receiving upstream control packets from the plurality of clients and determining individual encoding coefficients for the plurality of clients. Each encoding coefficient determines an encoding rate for a signal directed to a respective client.

A sink reporter associated with a specific client formulates upstream control packets directed to the flow controller. The flow controller uses downstream control packets and corresponding upstream control packets exchanged through a connection between the streaming server and the specific client to determine a current condition of the connection.

A downstream control packet sent from the source reporter to a specific client contains a packet identifier. A corresponding upstream control packet sent by a sink reporter of the specific client in response to the specific downstream control packet contains the packet identifier.

An upstream control packet may also contain an indication of occupancy of a data buffer associated with the specific client. The flow controller processes the upstream control packet of the specific client to determine an indicator of transfer delay from the streaming server to the specific client and a proportion of lost downstream control packets.

In accordance with another aspect, the present invention provides a method of data streaming from an encoder to a decoder through a time-varying connection. The method comprises steps of: associating an encoding coefficient with the encoder for determining a flow rate of an output of the encoder; defining a performance metric of the connection and an acceptance interval of the performance metric having a lower bound and an upper bound; acquiring a set of performance measurements of the connection over a time window at a current encoding coefficient; determining a current value of the metric of the connection according to the set of measurements; and adjusting the encoding coefficient to a preferred encoding coefficient according to the current value of the metric and the acceptance interval.

If the current value of the metric is lower than the lower bound of the acceptance interval the current encoding coefficient is multiplied by a first factor to produce the preferred encoding coefficient. If the current value of the metric exceeds the upper bound, the current encoding coefficient is multiplied by a second factor to produce the preferred encoding coefficient. The first factor exceeds 1 and the second factor is less than 1. Preferably, a product of the first factor and the second factor is less than 1. If the current value of the metric is within the acceptance interval, the current encoding coefficient remains unchanged.

The first factor may be determined as a function of a difference between the lower bound and the current value of the metric. The second factor may be determined as a function of a difference between the current value of the metric and the upper bound. The metric may be determined as a mean value of transfer delay during the time window, a mean value of data loss during the time window, or an indicator of occupancy of a decoder buffer measured at the end of the time window, where the decoder buffer holds data received through the connection.

The method further comprises a step of instructing the encoder to encode a signal according to the preferred encoding coefficient and a nominal encoding rate if the preferred encoding coefficient differs appreciably from the current encoding coefficient.

In accordance with a further aspect, the present invention provides a method of data streaming from an encoder to a decoder through a time-varying connection based on gauging multiple performance characteristics of the connection. The method comprises steps of: associating an encoding coefficient with the connection, where the encoding coefficient determines a flow rate of an output of the encoder; associating multiple performance characteristics with the connection; and defining multiple performance metrics having one-to-one correspondence to the multiple performance characteristics.

At a current encoding coefficient, multiple sets of performance measurements of the connection over a time window are acquired, where each set of performance measurements corresponds to one of the multiple performance characteristics. A current value of each performance metric is determined using a corresponding set of measurements to produce a set of current values of performance metrics. A preferred encoding coefficient is then determined according to the current value of each performance metric.

The method further adjusts the encoding coefficient by comparing current values of the multiple performance metrics with respective acceptance intervals. A set of acceptance intervals, each corresponding to one of the multiple performance metrics is defined. Each acceptance intervals is defined by a respective lower bound and a respective upper bound. The current encoding coefficient is multiplied by a first factor, greater than 1, to produce the preferred encoding coefficient when each element in the set of current values of performance metrics is lower than a lower bound of a corresponding acceptance interval. The current encoding coefficient is multiplied by a second factor, less than 1, to produce the preferred encoding coefficient when at least one element in the set of current values of performance metrics exceeds an upper bound of a corresponding acceptance interval.

The first factor exceeds 1 and the second factor is less than 1. In order to cause the encoding-coefficient to increase at a slow pace and decrease at a relatively faster pace, the product of the first factor and the second factor may be selected to be less than 1.

The multiple performance characteristics may comprise transfer delay from the encoder to the decoder, data loss, and occupancy of a decoder buffer holding data received through the connection. The multiple performance metrics may comprise: a mean value of transfer delay during the time window; a mean value of data loss during the time window; and a value of occupancy of the decoder buffer during the time window. The multiple sets of performance measurements are acquired through exchange of control data between the encoder and the decoder. The exchange of data may be based on using the real-time transport protocol (RTP) and the real-time transport control protocol (RTCP).

In accordance with another aspect, the present invention provides a method of determining an adaptable encoding rate of a signal transmitted from a data-streaming server to a client device through a time-varying connection. The method comprises steps of: determining a current encoding rate for the connection; acquiring measurements of a specific characteristic of the connection over a time window encompassing W measurements between a first time instant and a second time instant; and determining a metric μ of the specific characteristic from the measurements.

If μ is within a predefined acceptance interval having a lower bound μ₁ and an upper bound μ₂, the current encoding rate need not change. Otherwise, the current encoding rate may be multiplied by a factor χ₂<1 if μ exceeds the upper bound μ₂ of the acceptance interval or by a factor χ₁>1 if μ is below the lower bound μ₁ of the acceptance interval.

If the specific characteristic is a transfer delay along the connection, the metric is determined according to steps of: acquiring a measurement σ of the transfer delay; updating a summation Σ by adding the measurement σ and subtracting an entry at a current index in a circular array V, where the circular array has W>1 entries storing previous measurements of the specific characteristic; and storing the measurement σ in the circular array at the current index. A counter representing a cumulative number of measurements is increased by 1, and current index is updated by adding 1 (modulo W), i.e., when the Index reaches a value of W, the Index is reset to 0. The use of the index, modulo W, facilitates storing the most recent W measurements and the purpose of the counter is to space successive time windows during which metrics are determined. Thus, the summation Σ, used as the metric μ, is used to determine the need for encoding-rate adjustment only if the counter equals or exceeds a threshold P*. The purpose of using the summation Σ instead of a mean value Σ/W, is to reduce the computational effort. The lower bound μ₁ is determined as a lower bound of an acceptable transfer delay multiplied by W and the upper bound μ₂ is determined as an upper bound of an acceptable transfer delay multiplied by W. The counter is reset to zero after any adjustment of the current encoding rate. The threshold P* is selected to be sufficiently large so that a time gap between any two successive steps of adjusting the current encoding rate exceeds a predefined minimum time gap. The factor χ₁ may be determined as a function of (μ₁−Σ) and the factor χ₂ is determined as a function of (Σ−μ₂).

If the specific characteristic is a data-loss ratio, the metric μ is a data-loss ratio θ determined over the time window. The lower and upper bounds and μ₂>μ₁ are bounds of an acceptable data-loss ratio. The factor χ₁ is determined as a predetermined multiplier χ>1 when θ is less than μ₁, and the factor χ₂ is determined as (1−θ) for θ>μ₂.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the present invention will be further described with reference to the accompanying exemplary drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a network incorporating a system of flow-rate adaptation for connections of time-varying capacities in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates a system comprising an encoder connecting to a decoder through a connection of variable capacity where the encoding rate is adapted to the state of the connection in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 illustrates a circular buffer associated with the encoder of FIG. 2 for storing selected measurements characterizing the connection in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 illustrates connection measurements received at the encoder in the system of FIG. 2 where measurements are analyzed over disjoint or overlapping time windows in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating a method of determining an encoding coefficient based on measurements variation within a time window in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 illustrates exemplary regression lines of successive measurements during time windows, where the slopes of the regression lines are used in the method of FIG. 5 to determine preferred values of the encoding rate in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 illustrates another set of exemplary regression lines with both positive and negative slopes for use in an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 exemplifies measurements over a time window yielding a regression line of positive slope and a negative gradient for illustrating the method of FIG. 5;

FIG. 9 exemplifies measurements over a time window yielding a regression line of negative slope and a positive gradient for illustrating the method of FIG. 5;

FIG. 10 illustrates the method of FIG. 5 where decrements of the encoding coefficient take place in discrete steps determined according to domains defined by both linear-regression slope and measurement gradient at window end, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11 illustrates the method of FIG. 5 where increments of the encoding coefficient take place in discrete steps determined according to domains defined by both linear-regression slope and measurement gradient at window end, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 12 is a flow chart illustrating steps of acquiring connection measurements using the Real-time transport protocol (RTP) and Real-time control transport protocol (RTCP) in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 13 is a flow chart illustrating processes of determining connection performance measurements based on RTP packets sent by an encoder and RTCP packets received from a decoder in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 14 is a flow chart indicating steps of determining connection metrics and a corresponding encoding coefficient in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 15 illustrates an alternative method of treating measurements taken over disjoint or overlapping time windows for determining an encoding coefficient in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 16 illustrates computation of moving-average value of measurements over overlapping time windows for use in an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 17 illustrates a method of determining a preferred encoding coefficient based on comparing connection metrics with predefined bounds in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 18 is a flow chart illustrating basic steps of the method of FIG. 17, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 19 is a flow chart providing details of the steps of the method of FIG. 17, including further steps of minimizing computation effort in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 20 illustrates an extension of the process described with reference to FIG. 17 for adjusting an encoding coefficient according to current values of two metrics;

FIG. 21 illustrates an extension of the process described with reference to FIG. 17 for adjusting an encoding coefficient according to current values of three metrics; and

FIG. 22 illustrates variation of packet-loss ratio versus a ratio of encoding rate of a signal transmitted by a streaming server to connection transmittance for use in illustrating an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION Terminology

Encoding flow rate: The bit rate of an encoded signal may fluctuate with time and the maximum bit rate of the encoded signal is herein called a flow rate.

Adaptive encoder: An adaptive encoder is a device capable of encoding a signal to a specified flow rate within a predefined flow-rate range. The encoding attempts to maximize encode-signal fidelity.

Nominal flow rate: A flow rate negotiated between a client and a streaming server, or determined automatically by a streaming server based on knowledge of client's equipment is herein called a nominal flow rate.

Encoding coefficient: An encoding coefficient, denoted E, is a scaling factor which is multiplied by the nominal flow rate to determine a preferred flow rate compatible with a current state of a connection between a streaming server and a client.

Connection transmittance: The maximum flow rate which can be sustained by a connection from a streaming server to a client without violating preset performance objectives is herein called a connection transmittance.

Performance characteristic: Performance characteristics are defined herein as measurable connection properties such as transfer-delay variation, data-loss proportion, signal distortion, etc.

Scalar measurement: A connection measurement related to only one connection property is a scalar measurement.

Vector measurement: A number of contemporaneous connection measurements form a vector measurement.

Statistic: A statistic is a value (such as a mean value) derived from a set of data samples.

Metric: A Metric is a measure of a quality of a path or a connection in a telecommunication network. A Metric may relate to a connection property such as latency, reliability, capacity, etc., of a path or connection within a path.

Scalar metric: A metric related to one connection property is herein called a scalar metric. A scalar metric is determined from a number of scalar measurements.

Vector metric: A metric related to at least two connection properties is herein called a vector metric. A vector metric is determined from a number of vector measurements.

Acceptance interval: A range of metrics, between a predefined lower bound and a predefined upper bound, considered to indicate acceptable path or connection performance is herein called an acceptance interval.

Downstream control packet: A control packet sent from a streaming server to a client is a downstream control signal.

Upstream control packet: A control packet sent from a client to a streaming server is an upstream control signal.

Gradient: Conventionally, the slope of a continuous function relating two variables is known as a gradient. In the case of a sampled function, the gradient may be approximated by determining the slope from a small number of samples. Herein, the gradient is the slope of measurement samples determined over a period covering a small number of samples. Regression line: A straight line drawn through a set of data and determined according to some criterion, such as minimizing the sum of squares of data deviation from the straight line, is a regression line. The slope of a regression line may reliably indicate a trend of the data if the data dispersion meets certain conditions. Real-time transport protocol (RTP): RTP defines a standardized packet format for delivering audio and video over the Internet (defined by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), RFC 3550). Real-time transport control protocol (RTCP): RTCP provides out-of-band control information for an RTP flow and is used periodically to transmit control packets in a streaming session. The primary function of RTCP is to provide feedback on connection quality.

FIG. 1 illustrates a system for data streaming where a streaming server computing device 120, also to be referred to as streaming server 120, transmits data to client devices 160, also called clients 160, through a shared network 180, such as the Internet. A client 160 comprises a processor and a computer readable medium, it is connected to network 180 through a wire-line access medium 150 or a wireless access medium 152 through a base station 140 which may be connected to network 180 through a wireline or a wireless medium. In a preferred embodiment, the server 120 uses existing protocols to exchange control data with clients 160. For example, the streaming server 120 may use the real-time transport protocol (RTP) to send control data to a client 160 and the client may use the real-time transport control protocol (RTCP) to send control data to the streaming server. Other protocols may be devised for connection quality control. In accordance with the present invention, a client negotiates a data-encoding rate with the streaming server and the streaming server may adjust the encoding rate according to state variation of a connection between the streaming server 120 and the client. Notably, the streaming server 120 assigns individual encoding rates to the clients 160 according to negotiated nominal flow rates (bit-rates) and individual states of connections from the streaming server 120 to the clients 160. The streaming server may also recognize a client's equipment type and determine a nominal flow rate accordingly.

FIG. 2 illustrates an instance of a single connection from the streaming server 120 to a client 160. The streaming server 120 comprises a signal source 204, connecting to an adaptable encoder 220 through a channel 206. The adaptable encoder 220 encodes a signal from source 204 according to a nominal flow rate and an encoding coefficient determined by a flow controller 246. The streaming server 120 connects to the client 160 through a channel 260 which may have a time-varying capacity. The client 160 comprises a receiver 226 which detects information signal (e.g., a video signal) and directs the detected signal to a decoder 240 which may organize the detected signal in a format suitable for a user 280. A buffer 238 may be associated with the decoder 240 to hold data for a short period of time. The detected signal may also contain control packets which are directed to a sink reporter 242. The sink reporter may process control packets received from the source reporter 224 and send acknowledgments and specified measurements in a control packet sent to flow controller 246 through a control channel 270.

Due to the time-varying capacity of connection 260, it is of paramount importance that the flow controller 246 determine an accurate estimation of the transmittance of the time-varying channel 260 and compute an appropriate encoding coefficient E. The adaptable encoder 220 encodes a signal according to the nominal encoding rate assigned to the client and a current value of the encoding coefficient. The flow controller 246, comprising computer readable instructions stored in a computer readable medium, determines permissible overall flow rate (bit-rate) or selectively adjusts the information content to preserve certain qualities of the signal. In the case of video signals, the encoder may modify the frame rates, the content per frame, or both.

The flow controller 246 uses measurements acquired through an exchange of control packets between the server 120 and the client 160. The source reporter 228, comprising computer readable instructions stored in a computer readable medium, formulates downstream control packets (not illustrated) to be directed to clients 160. The sink reporter 242, comprising computer readable instructions stored in a computer readable medium, associated with each client 160 formulates upstream control packets (not illustrated) to be sent to the flow controller 246. The flow controller 246 uses upstream control packets and corresponding downstream control packets exchanged through connections between the streaming server and the clients 160 to determine current states of the connections and appropriate individual encoding coefficients for the clients 160. Each encoding coefficient determines an encoding rate for a signal directed to a respective client.

A specific downstream control packet sent from the source reporter 228 to a specific client 160 contains a downstream-control-packet identifier and an indicator of an instant of time at which the downstream packet is transmitted. A corresponding upstream control packet sent by a sink reporter 242 of the specific client 160 in response to the specific downstream control packet echoes the downstream-control-packet identifier and indicates a time at which the specific client received the specific downstream control packet.

The flow controller may base its computation of the encoding coefficient E on measurements received during a time window of a predefined width W. The width W may be defined in terms of a time interval, such as a few milliseconds, or a number of measurements acquired, for example, most recent 128 measurements. Hereinafter, the time window width will be expressed in terms of a number of measurement instances.

The streaming server 120 comprises at least one processor (not illustrated) and a computer readable storage medium, comprising, for example, non-volatile memory devices, DVD, CD-ROM, or floppy disks, having computer readable instructions stored thereon. The computer readable instructions are executed by at least one processor to cause the adaptable encoder 220, the source reporter 228, and the flow controller 246 to perform the functions described hereinafter.

FIG. 3 illustrates measurements stored in a circular buffer 320 maintained at the flow controller 246. For clarity, the circular buffer in the illustrated example contains only eight measurements 342 acquired during time instants t_(j) to t_(j+7), (j+7) being a current observation instant. The circular buffer may hold a large number ν of records. A record may contain a single measurement (scalar measurement) or a set of contemporaneous measurements (vector measurements) together with a corresponding time indicator. A new record of index j overwrites a previous record of index (j−ν). Thus, the circular buffer 320 retains the most recent ν measurements (scalar or vector measurements). Some measurements, such as occupancy of buffer 238 associated with a decoder 240, may be extracted from upstream control packets received from client 160. Additionally, flow controller 246 may determine transfer delay by comparing a time instant at which a downstream control packet to a client 160 is sent and a time instant at which the server 120 receives a corresponding upstream control packet from the client 160. Packet loss may be detected by comparing sequential numbers of downstream control packets sent to client 160 and sequential numbers extracted from upstream packets received from client 160. The ratio of the number of lost packets to the number of downstream control packets defined a packet-loss ratio, hereinafter denoted θ.

Each record in circular buffer 320 includes (1) a serial number 340 of a downstream control packet (denoted j, j+1, j+2, . . . , etc.), (2) a time instant 342 (denoted t_(j), t_(j+1), etc.) at which an upstream control packet indicating a serial number 340 of the same record is received at the server 120; and (3) a measurement 344 included in an upstream control packet, such as occupancy of buffer 238.

Retaining sufficient serial numbers 340 enables computing packet-loss ratio over a time window of arbitrary width, within reasonable bounds. Retaining sending times of downstream control packets and receiving times 342 of corresponding upstream control packets enables computing transfer delay. Thus, measurements characterizing a connection may include measurements calculated at flow controller 246, such as transfer delay or packet-loss ratio, and measurements 344 read directly from upstream control packets.

A time window may be limited to cover a preset maximum number of control packets or a preset duration. As will be described with reference to FIG. 19, the two conditions may be used and the more stringent condition defines the time window.

FIG. 4 illustrates a succession of measurements extracted from control packets received at the flow controller 246. Metrics characterizing the time-varying channel are computed at the end of a time window. In the example of FIG. 4, each window covers eight measurements. The metrics may cover some or all of several attributes such as delay, data loss, buffer occupancy at the decoder 240, and a signal quality determined by analyzing the output of the decoder. A measurement may be a scalar, related to one connection characteristic such as data-loss proportion, or a vector covering multiple connection characteristics such as transfer delay, data loss, and occupancy of a buffer associated with the connection.

The result of analysis of measurement data over a current window may determine the selection of a subsequent time window. If analysis of measurements over a window results in modifying the encoding rate, i.e., modifying the encoding coefficient E, a subsequent window may be separated from the current window by a significant interval of time. Otherwise, the subsequent window may be adjacent to the current window; a subsequent window may also be a moving window overlapping the current window.

In the example of FIG. 4, metrics of a connection determined after a last measurement of a window 420 may result in updating the encoding coefficient. Metrics determined at the end of window 240A resulted in updating the encoding coefficient E for the current connection. Therefore, a new window 240B immediately follows window 240A. Metrics determined at the end of window 240B also resulted in updating the encoding coefficient and, hence, window 240C immediately follows window 240B. Metrics determined at the end of window 240C resulted in updating the encoding coefficient and, hence, window 240D immediately follows window 240C. Metrics determined at the end of window 240D did not alter the encoding coefficient. Thus, a subsequent window 240 E overlaps window 240D. Metrics determined at the end of window 240E did not alter the encoding coefficient. Likewise, metrics determined at the end of overlapping window 240F did not alter the encoding coefficient. Metrics determined at the end of overlapping window 240G resulted in modifying the encoding coefficient. Therefore a new window 240H immediately follows window 240G. Metrics determined at the end of window 240H resulted in modifying the encoding coefficient and a subsequent window 240I follows immediately. None of overlapping windows (moving windows) 240I, 240J, 240K, 240L, and 240M, ending in measurements labeled I, J, K, L, and M, ended in modifying the encoding coefficient. Metrics determined at the end of overlapping window 240N resulted in modifying the encoding coefficient and a new window (not illustrated) follows immediately.

FIG. 5 illustrates basic steps for determining a preferred current value of an encoding coefficient. In step 520, the encoding coefficient E is set to equal 1.0, i.e., the encoding rate is the nominal encoding rate determined when the connection is setup. It is noted that the encoder naturally produces data at rates which vary according to the nature of the encoded signal. The encoding coefficient E, however, causes the encoder to independently modify its output flow rate regardless of the dynamics (the fluctuating bit rate) of the encoded signal. An index of the circular buffer 320 (FIG. 3) is also initialized in step 520 to zero (or to any preset value not exceeding the buffer length). In step 522, the flow controller 246 acquires control data sent by sink reporter 242, extracts connection measurements from the control packets, and stores the measurements in address “Index” of a circular buffer, after which the Index is increased by 1 in step 524. If the address Index reaches W, the address Index is reset to 0. If step 526 determines that the value of Index is smaller than a window width W, step 522 is revisited to receive and process a new measurement (scalar measurement) or a set of concurrent measurements (a vector measurement). The window width may be expressed as a number of buffer records each record holding a scalar measurement or a vector measurement. If step 526 determines that the value of Index is at least equal to the window width W, step 528 determines a gradient, denoted β, over a short period preceding the end of a window. If the magnitude of the gradient β is less than a first predefined threshold {hacek over (g)}, the encoding coefficient is not updated and step 522 is revisited. Otherwise, step 532 determines a trend of the most recent W measurements using linear-regression techniques. In step 540, the magnitude of the slope, denoted α, of the regression line is compared with a second predefined threshold {hacek over (S)}. If the magnitude of α (denoted |α|) is less than {hacek over (S)}, step 522 is revisited to acquire and store a scalar measurement or a vector measurement from a new control packet received at the flow controller. Otherwise, if |α|≧{hacek over (S)} step 542 determines a new encoding coefficient E according to a predefined function Γ(α,β) and resets Index to 0. Step 546 ensures that the value of E is bounded to be above a predefined minimum value E_(min) and below a predefined maximum value E_(max).

The value of E may exceed a preset design upper bound E_(max) if function Γ(α,β) allows the value of E to increase continually when measurements indicate high connection transmittance. Step 546 then reduces value of E to E_(max) (E←min(E, E_(max)).

Reducing the encoding rate below a certain value may result The value of E may fall below a preset design lower bound E_(min) if function Γ(α,β) allows the value of E to decrease continually when measurements indicate low connection transmittance. Step 546 then increases value of E to E_(min) (E←max(E, E_(min)).

It is noted that with negligible variations in connection transmittance, as deduced from small values of the magnitudes of β and α, step 542 may not be activated over a considerable period of time. However, in a circular buffer 320, a new measurement overwrites an already processed previous measurement and the slope α of the regression line is determined in step 532 over the most recent W scalar measurements (or W vector measurements).

The steps of FIG. 5 are implemented by a processor associated with flow controller 246 according to computer-readable instructions stored in a storage medium.

FIG. 6 illustrates a succession of measurements of connection characteristics such as delay, data-loss proportion, or buffer occupancy at a client 160. The slopes of regression lines 620 are positive, indicating a deteriorating connection conditions (decreasing connection transmittance) and, hence, a need to reduce the flow rate by reducing the encoding rate, i.e., reducing the encoding coefficient E.

FIG. 7 illustrates a succession of measurements of connection characteristics at the client 160. The slopes of regression lines 620 change from a positive value to negative values indicating deterioration followed by improvement of connection condition.

FIG. 8 illustrates eight scalar measurements over a window 420 of FIG. 4. A regression line 620 selected to minimize the sum of squares of deviations from measurements, taken at time instants t_(j), t_(j+1), . . . , t_(j+7), has a slope α=1.64. The gradient β determined from the last two measurements is negative. The value of E is determined from a predefined function Γ(α,β). An exemplary function Γ(α,β), represented in a tabular form, is illustrated in FIG. 10.

FIG. 9 illustrates eight scalar measurement over a window where a regression line has a slope α=−1.64. The gradient β determined from the last two measurements is positive. The value of E determined from predefined function Γ(α,β).

FIG. 10 illustrates an exemplary function Γ(α,β) for positive values of the slope a of a regression line. As indicated, the encoding coefficient E remains unchanged if the gradient β is less than 1.0 with α≧0 or if the gradient β is greater than or equal to 1 but α is less than 0.1. The measurements of FIG. 8 yield a positive regression-line slope α and a negative gradient β. Hence, according to function Γ(α,β) of FIG. 10, the encoding coefficient E remains unchanged.

Likewise, FIG. 11 illustrates the exemplary function Γ(α,β) for negative values of α. The value of E remains unchanged if β≧(−1.2) or if β<(−1.2) but α>(−0.2). The measurements of FIG. 9 yield a negative regression-line slope α and a positive gradient β. Hence, according to function Γ(α,β) of FIG. 11, the encoding coefficient E remains unchanged.

FIG. 12, comprising FIG. 12A and FIG. 12B, illustrate a process of exchanging control packets between the streaming server 120 and a client 160 using a known protocol. FIG. 12A illustrates a process of sending an RTP (Real-time transport protocol) control packet to a client 160 and FIG. 12B illustrates a process of receiving an RTCP (Real-time control transport protocol) packet from the client 160 and processing the content of the RTCP packet in flow controller 246. The process of FIG. 12A starts at step 1220 where the source reporter 228 (FIG. 2) prepares the RTP control packet. In step 1222 a current value of the encoding coefficient is determined. In step 1224 a sequence number of the RTP packet and a time of transmitting the RTP packet are recorded. In step 1226 the RTP packet is transmitted to a respective client 160.

The process of FIG. 12B starts at step 1240, where the flow controller 246 (FIG. 2) receives the RTCP packet from sink reporter 242. In step 1242 measurement data is extracted from the RTCP packet. In step 1244, a difference between a current time instant and a time instant of a preceding update of the encoding coefficient is determined. If the time difference is less than a predefined minimum update interval, step 1240 is revisited to consider a waiting or forthcoming RTCP packet. Otherwise, if the time difference equals or exceeds the minimum update interval, step 1246 determines a new permissible encoding rate. Step 1248 whether an update of the encoding coefficient is needed. If so, a new encoding coefficient is determined. Otherwise step 1240 is revisited. In step 1260, the encoding coefficient is updated and communicated to the encoder 220, and the flow controller 246 (FIG. 2) is ready to consider a new RTCP packet (step 1240).

The steps of FIG. 12, further detailed in FIG. 13 and FIG. 14, are implemented by the aforementioned processor associated with flow controller 246 according to computer-readable instructions stored in a storage medium.

FIG. 13 details step 1242 of FIG. 12. In step 1320, a received RTCP packet is examined to determine if it contains a “receiver report” from the sink reporter 242. If the RTCP packet does not contain a receiver report, step 1340 is implemented to determine if the RTCP packet contains a buffer-occupancy report. If the RTCP packet contains a receiver report, step 1322 determines a transfer-delay as a time difference between the current time of arrival of the RTCP packet and the time of transmitting a corresponding RTP packet. The corresponding RTP packet is the RTP packet having a sequential number which matches a number indicated in field “extended highest sequence number received” of the RTCP receiver report. In step 1326, a minimum transfer delay is determined as the lesser of the transfer delay calculated in step 1322 and a previous value of the minimum transfer delay for the connection. The minimum transfer delay is initialized as an arbitrary large value. The minimum transfer delay is retained for future use as a reference for gauging fluctuating transfer delay.

FIG. 14 is a flow chart presenting an overview of steps of determining connection metrics and a corresponding encoding coefficient. In step 1420, the slope of a regression line of performance measurements taken over a time window is computed using any of known analytical methods. The gradient of the measurements near the end of the time window is also determined. In step 1422 a statistic of data-loss over the time window is also determined. In step 1424, a preferred value of the encoding coefficient, denoted E*, based on the regression-line slope and the gradient, is determined as described above with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11. In step 1426, a preferred value of the encoding coefficient, denoted E**, is determined according to the data-loss statistic determined in step 1422. In step 1428, a new encoding coefficient E is selected as the lesser of E* and E**. It is noted that under favorable connection conditions, the preferred encoding coefficient may be allowed to exceed 1.0, i.e., the encoder may produce a stream momentarily having a flow rate (bit-rate) exceeding the nominal flow rate assigned to the connection.

The encoding coefficient E just determined may be further modified according to occupancy of a buffer placed at the client-end of the connection. Step 1432 directs the process to step 1260 (FIG. 12) if buffer-occupancy data is not available. Otherwise, step 1434 determines if a statistic of buffer-occupancy measurements taken over the time window exceeds a predefined threshold. If so, and if the encoding coefficient determined step 1428 exceeds 1.0, the preferred encoding coefficient is reduced to one in step 1440 and the process returns to step 1260 of FIG. 12. It is noted that steps 1434 and 1440 follow an exemplary rule. Other rules governing the use of buffer-occupancy statistics may be devised.

FIG. 15 illustrates a method of processing connection measurements, according to another embodiment, where the mean values of measurements, over successive or overlapping windows, are used to determine a new value of the encoding coefficient E. A statistic based on a mean value of measurements taken over a time window 1520 and corresponding to a specific connection characteristic, such as transfer delay or data-loss, is compared with a predefined acceptable reference value of the specific connection characteristic. When the statistic exceeds the reference value by a significant amount, the encoding coefficient is reduced and, consequently, the encoding rate is decreased below the nominal flow rate. If the statistic is below the reference value by a significant amount, the encoding coefficient may be increased. Thus, two bounds μ₁ and μ₂, μ₁<μ₂ corresponding to the specific characteristic, may be defined. The encoding coefficient is increased when the statistic is below μ₁ and decreased when the statistic exceeds μ₂. The selection of the gap (μ₂−μ₁) is critical. A very small gap may result in unnecessary rapid flapping between low values and higher values. A very large gap may result in slow response, or even no response, to significant connection-condition variations.

FIG. 16 illustrates a moving average defined as a mean value of scalar measurements, expressed in arbitrary units, taken over successive overlapping windows each window covering eight measurements. The mean values 16.25, 17.0, 16.75, and 17.75 for the first four overlapping windows exhibit slow variation and a current value of the encoding coefficient may remain unchanged. However, a mean value of 21.5 determined after a number of measurements, as indicated in FIG. 16, may trigger modification of the encoding coefficient and adjusting parameters of the adaptable encoder 220. As described earlier with reference to FIG. 4, metrics determined at the end of a time window determine the selection of a subsequent time window.

FIG. 17 illustrates a method of attuning the encoding coefficient E to a current value of a metric μ of the time-varying connection 260. At a given connection condition, the value of metric μ increases as the encoding coefficient E increases. The two bounds μ₁ and μ₂, indicated in FIG. 17 as lines 1720 and 1740 respectively, define a range of acceptable connection performance. FIG. 17 illustrates exemplary dependence of the metric μ on the encoding coefficient E for five values of connection transmittance, denoted η₁, η₂, η₃, η₄, and η₅, where η₁>η₂>η₃>η₄>η₅. Initially, E is set to equal 1 so that the encoder operates at the nominal encoding rate allocated to a client under consideration. The nominal encoding rate is selected so that the connection performance is acceptable under normal connection condition, where the transmittance equals η₁. In FIG. 17, sample values of the connection metric μ are identified by indices (0) to (9). Consider a case where the transmittance is at its maximum value η₁, when E=1.0, and a current metric has a value {index (0)}, between μ₁ and μ₂. The connection condition then deteriorates and the transmittance of the connection decreases to a value η₂ leading to a new value of metric μ above the upper bound μ₂ {index (1)}. The flow controller 246 decreases the encoding coefficient E by a value of e₁, leading to a new value {index (2)} of metric μ within the interval (μ₁,μ₂). The connection condition continues to deteriorate and the connection transmittances decreases to η₄<η₂, leading to a new value {index (3)} of metric μ well above the interval (μ₁,μ₂). In response to the increased metric, the flow controller 246 reduces the encoding coefficient by e₃. The value of the metric μ drops {index (4)} but is still above μ₂. After two further reductions of the encoding coefficient by e₄ and e₅, leading to values represented by indices (5) and (6), the encoding coefficient is approximately 0.56 and the metric μ reduces to a value {index (6)} within the interval (μ₁,μ₂). The connection conditions then improved so that, at the same value 0.56 of the encoding coefficient E, the metric μ drops to a value {index (7)} well below the interval (μ₁,μ₂). The flow controller 246 increases the encoding coefficient by e₇ leading to an increased value of {index (8)} which is still below p. The flow controller 246 further increases the encoding coefficient by e₈ to a value of 0.75 leading to an increased value {index (9)} of μ within the interval (μ₁,μ₂). The encoding coefficient E remains at the value of 0.75 until further changes in connection transmittance causes metric changes.

FIG. 18 is a flow chart of the main steps, initially starting from step 1820, of the procedure of FIG. 17. In step 1820, a new value of metric μ is determined from measurements taken over a window as described above with reference to FIGS. 15 and 16. In step 1824, the new value is compared with the upper bound μ₂ and if μ>μ₂ the encoding coefficient is reduced in step 1860 by multiplying a current value of E with a factor χ₂<1 and the process returns to step 1820. If μ≦μ₂, step 1826 compares the new value of metric μ with the lower bound μ₁ of the acceptance interval (μ₁,μ₂). If μ≦μ₁, it is determined that the new value of the metric is within the acceptance interval (μ₁,μ₂) and the process returns to step 1820 to process a new value of metric μ. If μ<μ₁, the encoding coefficient E is updated in step 1840 by multiplying a current value of E by a factor χ₁>1 and the process returns to step 1820. The factors χ₁ and χ₂, (χ₁>1, χ₂<1) may depend on the differences (μ₁−μ) and (μ₂−μ), respectively. If the product (χ1×χ₂) is less than 1, the value of E increases in relatively small steps, when μ<μ₁, and decreases in relatively large steps, E when μ>μ₂.

FIG. 19 depicts the process of FIG. 17 in further detail. The metric μ is selected to be a mean value of measurements taken over a window covering a predefined number of measurements. To reduce the computational effort of the flow controller 246, the mean value is replaced by the sum Σ of measurements over the window and the acceptance interval (μ₁,μ₂) is replaced by an interval (Σ₁,Σ₂), where Σ₁=w×μ₁ and Σ₂=w×μ₂, w being a number of measurements per time window.

In step 1920, the value of E is initialized at 1, i.e., the encoder is initially requested to operate at the nominal encoding rate assigned to a client under consideration. All the entries of a circular array V (representing circular buffer 320 of FIG. 3) of length w are set to equal zero and a sum Σ of w entries in array V is initialized to equal zero. An integer “Index” tracks a current location in array V and an integer “Period” tracks a most recent instance of encoding-coefficient update. Each of the two integers Index and Period is initialized in step 1920 to equal zero.

In step 1922 a measurement σ is extracted from a control packet received at flow controller 246. In step 1924 the summation Σ, proportional to the metric μ is updated by subtracting an entry in location “Index” of array V and adding the new measurement σ. Array V is circular and, hence, after a first time window, the subtracted entry in location Index represents a measurement taken before a current window. After a first time window, the summation Σ over the first window correctly represents the metric μ multiplied by w.

In step 1926, a new measurement σ is written in location “Index” of array V. In step 1928, the integer Period is increased by 1, and the current location Index of circular array V is increased by 1, modulo w, i.e., when the value of Index reaches w, Index is reset to zero. If, in step 1930, it is determined that the number of measurements since an immediately preceding instance of encoding-coefficient update is less than a predefined limit P*, the process returns to step 1922 to process a new measurement. Otherwise the process proceeds to step 1932. When step 1932 is reached, the circular array V has w most recent measurements and the time interval between a current instant of a time and the immediately preceding instant of time at which the encoding coefficient E was modified is at least equal to a threshold P*. The value of P* is selected to be sufficiently large to avoid an excessive update rate and small enough to be responsive to connection state variations. The value of P* is a design parameter set by a designer of the flow controller 246.

Step 1932 compares the current summation Σ with the upper bound Σ₂ of the acceptance summation interval (Σ₁, Σ₂). If Σ>Σ₂, E is reduced in step 1940 by multiplying its current value by a factor χ₂<1, the integer Period is reset to equal zero in step 1950, and the process returns to step 1922. If Σ≦Σ₂, step 1934 compares the current summation Σ with the lower bound Σ₁ of the acceptance summation interval (Σ₁, Σ₂). If Σ<Σ₁, E is increased in step 1942 by multiplying its current value by a factor χ₁>1, the integer Period is reset to equal zero in step 1950 and the process returns to step 1922. If step 1934 determines that Σ≧Σ₁, it is concluded that the current summation Σ is within the acceptance summation interval (Σ₁, Σ₂). The process returns to step 1922 and the value of E remains unchanged.

The steps of FIG. 19 are implemented by the aforementioned processor associated with flow controller 246 according to computer-readable instructions stored in a respective computer readable storage medium.

Multiple Connection Metrics

The metric μ considered in FIG. 17 is a scalar representing one of multiple aspects of connection performance, such as transfer delay, data loss proportion, or buffer occupancy at a decoder 240. Consequently, the bounds μ₂ and μ₂ are also scalars. The criterion for modifying the encoding coefficient may be based on a connection metric μ related to one performance aspect with the factors χ₁ and χ₂, which modify the encoding coefficient (FIGS. 18 and 19), being a function of a deviation of a current value of a metric from an acceptance range of the same metric. To take multiple aspects of connection performance into account, the corresponding metrics may be normalized and a composite metric may be defined as a weighted sum of multiple normalized metrics with the bounds μ₁ and μ₂ selected accordingly. For example, a delay metric may be normalized with respect some nominal delay value, such as an estimated minimum delay for the connection under consideration, thus becoming dimensionless. A data-loss metric, which is naturally dimensionless, may be used as a normalized metric, and a buffer-occupancy metric (which is also dimensionless) may be normalized with respect to the capacity of a respective buffer. Consider, for example, contemporaneous measurements of delay, data-loss proportion, and buffer occupancy of 20 milliseconds, 0.02, and 200, respectively. The delay metric of 20 milliseconds may be normalized to a value of 2.0 based on a nominal (reference) delay of 10 milliseconds, and the buffer occupancy of 200 data units may be normalized to 0.8 based on a buffer capacity of 250 data units. A composite metric W may be defined as μ*=μ_(delay)+a×μ_(loss)+b×μ_(buffer) where μ_(delay), μ_(loss), and μ_(buffer) denote a normalized delay-based metric, a data-loss metric, and a normalized buffer occupancy metric, respectively. Selecting the parameters a and b as 80.0 and 2.5, respectively, the composite metric μ* for the metrics of the above example is determined as μ=2.0+80.0×0.02+2.5×0.8=5.6.

A more thorough method of considering multiple aspects of connection performance is to derive a separate metric and specify a separate acceptance interval for each performance aspect. When any current metric of a set of current metrics is above its acceptance interval, the encoding coefficient E is decreased. New metrics determined in a subsequent time window would be influenced by the change in encoding rate, due to change in the encoding coefficient E, and any change in connection transmittance. The encoding coefficient E may be decreased again until none of the new metrics is above its respective acceptance interval. In contrast, the encoding coefficient E may be increased only when all current metrics are below their respective acceptance intervals. E remains unchanged when at least one of the resulting new metrics is within its acceptance interval while none of remaining new metrics is above its acceptance interval.

FIG. 20 illustrates the method of encoding-coefficient E adjustment, described above, according to current values of two metrics μ⁽¹⁾ and μ⁽²⁾. In FIG. 20, μ⁽¹⁾ increases upwards and μ⁽²⁾ increases downwards as indicated. The acceptance interval 2020 for the first metric, μ⁽¹⁾, herein referenced as the first acceptance interval, has a lower bound μ₁ ⁽¹⁾ and an upper bound μ₂ ⁽¹⁾. The acceptance interval 2040 for the second metric, μ⁽²⁾, hereinafter referenced as the second acceptance interval, has a lower bound μ₁ ⁽²⁾ and an upper bound μ₂ ⁽²⁾. The reference numerals 2022, 2024, 2026, and 2028 indicate values of the first metric corresponding to encoding-coefficient values of E₁, E₂, E₃, and E₄, where E₁<E₂<E₃<E₄. The reference numerals 2042, 2044, 2046, and 2048 indicate values of the second metric corresponding to encoding-coefficient values of E₁, E₂, E₃, and E₄.

With the encoding coefficient set at a value E₄, for example, the value (2028) of the first metric is determined to be above the respective upper bound μ₂ ⁽¹⁾ while the value (2048) of the second metric is determined to be within the second acceptance interval (μ₁ ⁽²⁾, μ₂ ⁽²⁾). Because the value of one of the two metrics is higher than the corresponding acceptance upper bound, the encoding coefficient is reduced by multiplying its current value by a factor χ₂<1. The encoder 220 adjusts the encoding flow rate accordingly and new values for the two metrics are determined from fresh measurements taken after the adjustment of the flow rate. When the encoding coefficient is reduced to a value E₃<E₄, the value (2026) of the first metric was determined to be within the first acceptance interval (μ₁ ⁽¹⁾, μ₂ ⁽¹⁾) while the value (2046) of the second metric was determined to be well below the lower bound μ₁ ⁽²⁾ of the second acceptance interval (μ₁ ⁽²⁾, μ₂ ⁽²⁾). No further changes to the encoding coefficient take place unless (1) the connection state deteriorates resulting in one of the metrics to exceeds its acceptance upper bound, in which case the encoding coefficient is further reduced or (2) the connection state improves so that the value of both the first and second metrics are below their respective acceptance lower bounds, thus providing an opportunity to increase the encoding coefficient.

With the encoding coefficient set at a value E₁, the value (2022) of the first metric μ⁽¹⁾ is determined to be below the lower bound μ₁ ⁽¹⁾ and the value (2042) of the second metric is determined to be below the lower bound μ₁ ⁽²⁾. The encoding coefficient is increased to a value E₂. Consequently, the value of the second metric μ⁽²⁾ increased to a value (2044) which is within the acceptance interval (μ₁ ⁽²⁾, μ₂ ⁽²⁾) but close to the upper bound μ₂ ⁽²⁾. The first metric μ⁽¹⁾ increased to a value (2024) which is still below the lower bound μ₁ ⁽¹⁾. With no change in connection transmittance, a further increase of the encoding coefficient may increase the second metric μ⁽²⁾ to a value above the upper bound μ₂ ⁽²⁾. No further changes to the encoding coefficient take place until the connection state changes sufficiently to either provide an opportunity for increasing the encoding coefficient or force decreasing the encoding coefficient.

FIG. 21 illustrates the method of encoding-coefficient adjustment according to current values of three metrics μ⁽¹⁾, μ⁽²⁾, and μ⁽³⁾. Three acceptance intervals 2102, 2122, and 2142, for the first metric μ⁽¹⁾, the second metric μ⁽²⁾, and the third metric, respectively, are drawn as non-overlapping stripes for clarity. It is understood, however, that the three metrics, which may represent different characteristics of a connection, are treated separately. Thus, the positions of acceptance intervals 2102, 2122, and 2142 for metrics μ⁽¹⁾, μ⁽²⁾, and μ⁽³⁾, respectively, do not reflect their relative values. The first acceptance interval 2102 has a lower bound μ₁ ⁽¹⁾ and an upper bound μ₂ ⁽¹⁾. The second acceptance interval 2122 for the second metric, μ⁽²⁾ has a lower bound μ₁ ⁽²⁾ and an upper bound μ₂ ⁽²⁾. The third acceptance interval 2142 for the third metric, μ⁽³⁾ has a lower bound μ₁ ⁽³⁾ and an upper bound μ₂ ⁽³⁾. Reference numerals 2104, 2106, 2108, 2110, 2112, 2114, 2116, and 2118 indicate values of the first metric V) corresponding to encoding-coefficient values of E₁ to E₇, where E_(j)<E_(j+1), 1≦j≦6. Likewise, reference numerals 2124, 2126, 2128, 2130, 2132, 2134, 2136, and 2138 indicate values of the second metric μ⁽²⁾ corresponding to E₁ to E₇, and reference numerals 2144, 2146, 2148, 2150, 2152, 2154, 2156, and 2158 indicate values of the third metric μ⁽³⁾ corresponding to E₁ to E₇.

Consider a case where the adaptable encoder 220 has adjusted its encoding parameters according to a nominal rate and an encoding coefficient E₁. A metric vector determined at the end of a specific window has metric values for μ⁽¹⁾, μ⁽²⁾, and μ⁽³⁾ indicated by 2104, 2124, 2144. The values 2104, 2124 and 2144 are below the lower bound of their respective acceptance intervals. Therefore, the encoding coefficient is increased in steps until any of the three metrics {μ⁽¹⁾, μ⁽²⁾, and μ⁽³⁾}, determined from measurements taken after each step, is sufficiently close an upper bound of a respective acceptance zone. In the example of FIG. 21, this condition is met at the value of metric μ⁽²⁾ indicated by 2126 after the adaptable encoder 220 adjusts its flow rate to correspond to an encoding coefficient E₂.

For the case where the adaptable encoder 220 has adjusted its encoding parameters according to a nominal rate and an encoding coefficient E₃, the values of metrics μ⁽¹⁾, μ⁽²⁾, and μ⁽³⁾ indicated by 2108, 2128, and 2148 are below their respective acceptance intervals. The encoding coefficient increased to a value E₄ at which the value of metric μ⁽¹⁾ (reference 2110) was close to the upper bound of its acceptance interval while the values of metrics μ⁽²⁾, μ⁽³⁾ (2130 and 2150) were within their respective acceptance intervals.

For the case where the adaptable encoder 220 has adjusted its encoding parameters according to a nominal rate and an encoding coefficient E₇, the value of metric μ⁽²⁾, indicated by 2138 exceeds the upper bound of acceptance interval 2122. The encoding coefficient is reduced to a value E₆<E₇. The metrics μ⁽¹⁾ and μ⁽³⁾, decreased to values 2116 and 2156 below their respective acceptance intervals but metric μ⁽²⁾ decreased to a value 2136 within its acceptance interval 2122. Hence, the encoding coefficient remained unchanged at the value E₆. The connection transmittance decreased resulting in a subsequent increase in the metrics to values indicated by 2114, 2134, and 2154, respectively. With metric μ⁽²⁾ exceeding its upper bound, the encoding coefficient is reduced to a value of E₅.

FIG. 22 illustrates packet-loss ratio 8 as a function of the peak encoding rate (peak flow rate) of a signal transmitted by streaming server 120 over a connection to a client 160. As defined earlier, connection transmittance is the peak flow rate which can be sustained by a connection from a streaming server to a client without violating preset performance objectives. In the example of FIG. 22, the transmittance is defined according to the packet-loss performance only. FIG. 22 illustrates an exemplary relation between the packet-loss ratio and the peak encoding rate normalized with respect to the transmittance of the connection. The peak encoding rate is known. However, the transmittance of the connection may vary with time and may be unknown. If the peak encoding rate is higher than the transmittance, then the packet-loss ratio θ is greater than zero and the ratio of the peak encoding rate to transmittance may be determined as 1/(1−θ) and the encoding rate may be reduced by a factor (1−θ) to eliminate packet loss. The packet-loss ratio may be measured over a selected time window as described above. Line 2210 illustrates the packet-loss ratio θ as a function of the ratio ρ of the peak encoding rate to current transmittance. The value of θ is zero for ρ≦1.0. At ρ=1.5, θ=0.33, and at ρ=2.0, θ=0.5.

If the measured value of θ is zero, then the ratio of the peak encoding rate to transmittance may be anywhere above 0 and less than 1.0, and it is difficult to accurately determine an appropriate increase of the encoding rate (i.e., an increase of the encoding coefficient E) which would improve signal fidelity while avoiding packet loss. The encoding rate may be increased in steps until packet loss is measured (θ>0) and the encoding rate may then be corrected accordingly. When the measured value of θ is considerably small, e.g., of the order of 0.001, encoding-rate correction may not be necessary. An acceptance interval defined by a lower bound θ_(min) (line 2220) and an upper bound θ_(max), (line 2230) of packet-loss ratio helps in avoiding unnecessary processing for small values of θ. The values of θ_(min) and θ_(max) are design parameters. A value of θ_(min) of 0.001 and a value of θ_(max) of 0.02 may be considered adequate.

A computer readable medium, e.g., a DVD, CD-ROM, floppy, or a memory such as non-volatile memory, comprising instructions stored thereon, when executed by a processor, to perform the steps of the methods described above, is also provided.

Although specific embodiments of the invention have been described in detail, it should be understood that the described embodiments are intended to be illustrative and not restrictive. Various changes and modifications of the embodiments shown in the drawings and described in the specification may be made within the scope of the following claims without departing from the scope of the invention in its broader aspect. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for data streaming, comprising: at least one processor; a signal source; an adaptable encoder for encoding signals produced by said signal source; and a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having computer readable instructions stored thereon for execution by said at least one processor forming: a source reporter for formulating downstream control packets directed to respective client devices of a plurality of client devices during successive time windows; and a flow controller for: receiving upstream control packets, corresponding to said downstream control packets, from said plurality of client devices, each upstream control packet indicating a state of a connection from said adaptable encoder to a respective client device; and determining preferred individual encoding rates for connections from said adaptable encoder to said plurality of client devices based on comparing states of at least one connection over successive time windows with a predefined range of acceptable connection states.
 2. The system of claim 1 further comprising a sink reporter associated with each client device for formulating said upstream control packets directed to said flow controller, the sink reporter comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having computer readable instructions stored thereon for execution by a processor.
 3. The system of claim 2 wherein an upstream control packet sent by the sink reporter of a specific client device in response to a specific downstream control packet contains a packet identifier of said specific downstream control packet.
 4. The system of claim 1 wherein each downstream control packet sent from the source reporter to a respective client device contains a respective packet identifier.
 5. The system of claim 1 wherein said state of said connection is characterized by transfer delay, and wherein said flow controller is configured to determine said preferred individual encoding rates based on said transfer delay.
 6. The system of claim 1 wherein said state of said connection is characterized by a proportion of lost downstream control packets, and wherein said flow controller is configured to determine said preferred individual encoding rates based on said proportion of lost downstream control packets.
 7. The system of claim 1 further comprising a data buffer associated with said each client device wherein said upstream control packet contains an indication of occupancy of said data buffer.
 8. The system of claim 7 wherein the flow controller is further configured to determine said preferred individual encoding rates based on the occupancy of the data buffer.
 9. The system of claim 7 wherein said state of said connection is characterized by transfer delay and a proportion of lost downstream control packets, and wherein said flow controller is configured to determine said preferred individual encoding rates based on at least one of said transfer delay, said proportion of lost downstream control packets, and said occupancy of said data buffer.
 10. The system of claim 1 wherein said state of said connection is defined by a metric representing a specific characteristic of said connection, and wherein each of said preferred individual encoding rates is determined as a function of said metric.
 11. The system of claim 1 wherein said state of said connection is determined by at least two metrics representing different characteristics of said connection, and wherein said flow controller is configured to determine a preferred individual encoding rate for at least another connection based on said at least two metrics.
 12. The system of claim 1 wherein said state of a connection is defined by a metric representing a specific characteristic of said connection, said predefined range of acceptable connection states is defined by a metric acceptance interval having a lower bound and an upper bound, and wherein said flow controller is configured to keep a current encoding rate unchanged subject to a determination that the current value of the metric is within the metric acceptance interval.
 13. The system of claim 1 wherein said state of a connection is defined by a metric representing a specific characteristic of said connection, said predefined range of acceptable connection states is defined by a metric acceptance interval having a lower bound and an upper bound, and wherein said flow controller is configured to: increase a current encoding rate by an amount determined as a function of deviation of the metric from said lower bound, subject to a determination that the current value of the metric is less than said lower bound; and decrease a current encoding rate by an amount determined as a function of deviation of the metric from said upper bound, subject to a determination that the current value of the metric exceeds said upper bound.
 14. The system of claim 1 wherein said state of a connection is defined by a metric representing a specific characteristic of said connection, said metric being determined as a sum of a predefined number of measurements characterizing the connection.
 15. The system of claim 1 wherein each of said successive time window is defined according to one of: a specified time interval; and a number of upstream control packets received at said flow controller.
 16. The system of claim 1 wherein said upstream control packets are held in a circular buffer having a specified number of records.
 17. The system of claim 1 wherein said successive time windows for a specific connection overlap, provided that a current encoding rate of the specific connection remains unchanged.
 18. The system of claim 1 wherein a time window for a specific connection is not adjacent to a preceding time window, provided that a current encoding rate of the specific connection has changed following said preceding time window.
 19. A system for data streaming, comprising: a signal source; at least one processor; an adaptable encoder for encoding signals produced by said signal source; and a memory device storing computer readable instructions which cause said at least one processor to: formulate downstream control packets directed to respective client devices of a plurality of client devices during successive time windows; receive, from said plurality of client devices, upstream control packets, corresponding to said downstream control packets, each upstream control packet indicating a state of a connection from said adaptable encoder to a respective client device; determine at least two metrics representing different characteristics of said connection; and determine a preferred encoding rate for said connection based on said at least two metrics.
 20. The system of claim 19 wherein said computer readable instructions further cause said at least one processor to determine preferred individual encoding rates for at least one connection based on comparing states of said at least one connection over said successive time windows with a predefined range of acceptable connection states.
 21. The system of claim 19 wherein said computer readable instructions further cause said at least one processor to: determine deviation of each of said at least two metrics from corresponding predefined intervals of acceptable metrics; and determine said preferred encoding rate for said connection based on said deviation.
 22. The system of claim 19 wherein said computer readable instructions further cause said at least one processor to determine said preferred encoding rate for said connection so that: said preferred encoding rate equals a current encoding rate subject to a determination that each of said at least two metrics is within corresponding predefined intervals of acceptable metrics; said preferred encoding rate is lower than said current encoding rate subject to a determination that at least one of said at least two metrics is larger than an upper bound of said corresponding predefined intervals of acceptable metrics; and said preferred encoding rate is higher than said current encoding rate subject to a determination that each of said at least two metrics is smaller than a lower bound of said corresponding predefined intervals of acceptable metrics.
 23. The system of claim 19 wherein downstream control packets are formed according to the standardized Real-Time Transport Protocol and wherein said upstream control packets are formed according to the standardized Real-Time Control Transport Protocol.
 24. A method of data streaming, comprising: encoding signals produced by a signal source using an adaptable encoder; executing, by at least one processor, processor readable instructions stored in a memory device for: formulating downstream control packets directed to respective client devices of a plurality of client devices during successive time windows; and receiving upstream control packets, corresponding to said downstream control packets, from said plurality of client devices, each upstream control packet indicating a state of a connection from said adaptable encoder to a respective client device; and determining preferred individual encoding rates for connections from said adaptable encoder to said plurality of client devices based on comparing states of at least one connection over successive time windows with a predefined range of acceptable connection states.
 25. The method of claim 24 further comprising determining said state of said connection by at least two metrics representing different characteristics of said connection, and determining a preferred individual encoding rate for at least one connection based on said at least two metrics.
 26. The method of claim 25 wherein said at least two metrics include at least one of: an indication of data loss; an indication of data transfer delay; and an indication of occupancy of a data buffer associated with a client device.
 27. A method of data streaming implemented by at least one processor executing computer readable instructions stored in a memory device, the method comprising: encoding signals produced by a signal source using an adaptable encoder; formulating downstream control packets directed to respective client devices of a plurality of client devices during successive time windows; receiving, from said plurality of client devices, upstream control packets, corresponding to said downstream control packets, each upstream control packet indicating a state of a connection from said adaptable encoder to a respective client device; determining at least two metrics representing different characteristics of said connection; and determining a preferred encoding rate for said connection based on said at least two metrics.
 28. The method of claim 27 further comprising: determining deviation of each of said at least two metrics from corresponding predefined intervals of acceptable metrics; and determining said preferred encoding rate for said connection based on said deviation.
 29. The method of claim 27 further comprising: setting said preferred encoding rate to equal a current encoding rate subject to a determination that each of said at least two metrics is within corresponding predefined intervals of acceptable metrics; setting said preferred encoding rate to be lower than said current encoding rate subject to a determination that at least one of said at least two metrics is larger than an upper bound of said corresponding predefined intervals of acceptable metrics; and setting said preferred encoding rate to be higher than said current encoding rate subject to a determination that each of said at least two metrics is smaller than a lower bound of said corresponding predefined intervals of acceptable metrics. 